It’s all happening!! Almost time to watch the temps begin to rise–as hard as that seems when we’re all hunkered down waiting for snow to hit Atlanta one. more. time this year (and people on the streets/in the grocery stores acting like fools who have clearly seen more than their share of ice this season).
I love this time of year. I don’t actually have to do any of the WORK of gardening, but I get the joys of DREAMING of a my garden. Sigh. Best of both worlds: cozy chair with a quilt and a mug of tea, but the blooms and fruits of a gorgeous garden bounty.
image via UT Extension Service
The past two years, I haven’t even attempted a garden. Well, OK, that’s not strictly true: first, last year I plopped a tomato plant and a pepper plant in pots from the grocery into some large urns on our new patio before we had a giant party, and two, it’s been more like four years since we’ve had a real garden. And I’m getting the itch.
I’m anxiously waiting to receive my garden catalog for the year:
Have you ordered yours yet? This particular one is put out by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and is a whopping 324 pages of dreamy seed goodness. Plus, it’s way more than a catalog: it has anecdotes and articles and advice for organic and GMO-free gardening, plus recipes and planting tips. I’m practically salivating just thinking about it. You can get your copy here–the free catalog they do each year is gone for 2014, but this one is a bargain at $7.95US, and I’ve already requested my 2015 freebie. Just to make sure all my bases are covered.
image via Mother Earth News
Here’s what I’m already thinking:
- brussels sprouts (we’ve never done them before, but they’re the new hipster vegetable and we love ’em)
- leafy greens, including Romaine (we spend a fortune on them, and in our climate, we can start them as early as March if we use cloches)
- cauliflower (not my fave, but we found an awesome white-flour-free pizza crust recipe that looks like it might be a new favorite)
- broccoli (the only real vegetable my children will all consistently eat)
- tomatoes (if I can get it down to 20 varieties we’ll have won a big battle this year)
- peppers (both jalapenos for my husband and banana peppers for me)
- carrots (perfect and satisfyingly easy for the kids to grow)
- onions and garlic (I haven’t done these before, and I hear the drying part is tough, but I’m really curious to give it a go, since we use them in every. single. recipe we try)
- bell peppers (another easy and satisfying one for the kids to grow)
- potatoes (still on the fence on this one, since we don’t eat a lot of them, but I’d like to do at least purple ones)
- melons and pumpkins (another space-eater but something that the kids will love, and out son is aching to grow a pumpkin and then bake it into a pie come Thanksgiving)
What’s on your gardening list this year? Have you already started dreaming of your own plot of ground this year?
Kimberly
February 10, 2014 at 10:30 pmBaker Creek is only about 15 miles from where I live. They have a festival every year, and it’s grown quite a following. Fun Fact – it’s in the small town where Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her Little House books.
Deborah
February 11, 2014 at 9:21 amWow!! I’ve always loved the Little House books–I had no idea! I did my graduate work in prehistoric foodways, so I’ve spent a lot of time reading about the current heirloom seed movement, and Baker Creek has come up again and again. Such a cool organization–I can’t wait to get my catalog in my hands!! 🙂
Kay Stephenson
February 11, 2014 at 10:29 amHave you tried mixing half mashed potatoes and half mashed cauliflower plus a tablespoon or two of shredded parmesan? Delish! It’s a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, and to use the cauliflower that you don’t love. It’s my new favorite side dish, and the hubs always wants there to be leftovers so he can take some in his lunch the next day.
Deborah
February 11, 2014 at 2:04 pmOooh, no! I wonder how the children would feel about that? They certainly love mashed potatoes, and I have yet to see them turn down cheese in any form… Will have to try it with them next chance we get! Thanks for the tip, KS! 🙂
Karen Chatters
February 11, 2014 at 9:38 pmI do straight up mashed cauliflower all the time, with a lot of garlic. My uber picky man doesn’t love them but does eat them with no complaints. I actually think they’re quite delish.
I may have to break down and buy the catalog now that I know it’s not just seeds.
Deborah
February 12, 2014 at 1:18 pmNeither hubs nor I has ever loved cauliflower, not since we were kids. But we felt the same way about Brussels sprouts until we had them cooked with pine nuts and bacon fat–so maybe that’s the key?? 🙂
Choosing Plants and Choosing Plots | Whipstitch
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